The Rise of Red Lightning
by AlphaOmega92
Summary: The five great nations of Wars World are locked in a never-ending conflict. But the rise of a new, great power seeks to end the war once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

The Rise of Red Lightning

Far above Wars World, thousands of miles above the ceaseless conflicts and numerous battles lies the black expanse of space, untouched by the humans below save for a small network of satellites. But these artificial constructs only turn their unblinking eyes back on the planet's surface, aiding commanders in their tactics and strategy. Beyond this border the space itself seemed to twist and distort, growing into a white portal that spanned several kilometers in width. Several long shapes pierced the white lens, jumping into being from seemingly nowhere. An armada of ships, all matter of shapes and sizes, emerged from the gateway. The ships comprising the fleet were all gunmetal-grey, with red lightning bolts adorning their flanks. The apparent flagship, "Valiant" painted on its hull, started forward towards the planet, the rest of the fleet following suit.

Marshal Michael Bellamy watched from the bridge of the RLS Valiant as the world before them grew to encompass the entire viewscreen. He stood and stepped over to the bridges Intelligence Station, readjusting his hat as he did so. A middle-aged man with black-hair salted by years of soldiering, creases around his mouth formed his face into a permanent frown. His uniform consisted of a black ballistic suit and a grey greatcoat trimmed with red fabric which rested over the armor. A carbon-steel revolver rested in a holster on his belt.

"Give me a report on the reconnaissance satellite." He ordered curtly.

"Sir." One of the analysts replied, pulling up the requested data on his terminal screen. "The probe was sent through the gate a month prior to our departure. It infiltrated the satellite network already in place above the planet, and has been monitoring the situation planetside, as well as piggybacking on the signals of the other satellites in orbit."

Bellamy nodded. "And what has it gathered?"

The intelligence officer pulled up a picture of the planet in front of them. "The planet is called Wars World, and is populated by humans like ourselves. It is around the same size as Earth, made up of three large continents, named Cosmoland, Macroland, and Omegaland respectively. The world is only home to five countries, each a superpower in its own right. They are Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, Green Earth, and Black Hole."

The landmasses on the image were filled in with the corresponding colors of the nations that controlled them.

"These nations fight amongst themselves, and as a result their militaries boast impressive technology and superior officers." The soldier concluded.

Marshall Bellamy let the new information ferment in his head awhile, then spoke once more.

"What are our chances of a peaceful integration?" he asked.

The analyst shook his head. "If you want my opinion sir, not very likely. Our presence will only add another force in the ongoing conflicts, and we do not have the resources to fight a prolonged war. Honestly, I believe we should skip this dimension entirely. It would be almost impossible to…"

"Warrant," the Marshall's voice chilled the air around him. "what is Red Lightning's purpose?"

"We are the military arm of the Universal Conglomerate, the sword and shield of mankind, devoted to uniting and protecting all of humanity." The officer recited from memory.

"And we are the Thirteenth Legion, entrusted to doing the same to all humans throughout the Multiverse. We have been doing it for twenty years now, and we will succeed here."

The Marshall bent over the officer's shoulder, searching through the files assembled on the screen. He eyed several pages of documents before something caught his eye.

"It says all of the nation's have highly industrialized war economies and vast deposits of natural resources. What if we knock out one country and use its assets to mount a campaign to unify the others?"

The intelligence officer mulled the idea over in is head. "Could work," he said slowly. The spark of realization shone in his eyes, and he typed a set of commands into his station. An enlarged image of one of the continents, Omegaland, appeared on the screen.

"The nation here, Black Hole, is by far the largest. Its army is more technologically advanced than those of the other nations, but it is ruled by a tyrannical dictator. Sewing unrest among its people and toppling it would be within our capabilities, and we could hide our true presence behind a rebellion until the time is right."

Marshall Bellany smiled, a rare occurance, and squeezed the younger man's shoulder. "A grand idea, Warrant. Call the commanders to the Valiant…we have some planning to do.

---

**Black Hole Operations Command**

"General Hawke, sir. Adder's fleet is currently underway on its training exercise. Von Bolt and the Bolt Guard are holding ceremonies in the Capitol, and all other Cos are on standby with their forces."

An imposing man with silver hair and tan skin, dressed in a dark green double-breasted military coat, nodded from his seat in the intelligence bunker. Built in the dense forests surrounding the Black Hole capitol city, the BHOC oversaw all Black Hole military operations. Hawke nodded to the officer and drank slowly from a glass of amber liquid. The whiskey warmed his throat as it travelled to his stomach, giving his body a weird, toasty feeling.

All was going well. Adder's "training exercise" was merely a ruse. The commander would merely play around in the ocean for a few weeks before launching an all-out campaign on the nation of Orange Star, starting a fresh campaign against the Allied Nation. Ever since the other countries had sent Black Hole reeling from their last attempt at world domination, the nation's new leader, Von Bolt, promised fiery redemption. Hawke smiled…he trusted the megalomaniac as far as he could throw him, and planned to overthrow the old man as soon as his precious Bold Guard left the country.

"Sir, one of our satellites had picked up strange readings!" an analyst called. The general rose and strode to the man's station.

"What is it? Something with Adder's task force?" he asked calmly.

"No sir…the readings aren't from the planet's surface, but from space." The officer said nervously. "I've never seen this kind of response before…"

"That is because you are far too green, soldier." Hawke replied, shaking his head pretentiously. "There is nothing out there but comm satellites. There are no weapons out there."

"But…"

"Focus on this planet, soldier. That _is_ an order." The general said, returning to his seat, and his whiskey.

---

**Strategic Command-Allied Nations**

The intelligence officer scrambled around the bunker, overlooking the actions of the subordinates under his command, head pounding from the four voices that pounded against his eardrums. The main screen was divided four ways, each partition filled with a giant face. A blonde woman in a business suit, a large beared man in full winter gear, a thin asian man dressed in the garb of a samurai, and a young silver-haired man in a pilot's uniform all looked anxiously at the stressed-out man.

"What's going on?"

"Are we under attack?"

"What the hell is happening?"

"Black Hole?"

The man finally had enough, kindly asking the supreme commanders of the Allied Nations to shut the hell up. Once the room had quieted down, the officer spoke.

"Moments ago our satellite network picked up strange readings…not from any place on Wars World, but from outer space. These readings lasted only a couple seconds, and we were unable to trace their orgin or cause. Our intel reports that Black Hole is not the cause, and questions regarding the reasons were briefly broadcast over their own intel network. Odds are it was just solar influence, or a meteor shower. There is nothing to worry about."

The four commanders talked amongst themselves for a bit then, one by one, cut their feeds.

"Please keep us informed of any further developments." The blonde said before disappearing.

The intelligence officer sighed and fell into his chair. The Allied Powers top COs were an imposing bunch. Nell, the blonde, was the Supreme Commander of Orange Star, and looked after both her nation and those under her command with the fierce protectiveness of a mother. Olaf, the portly old man from Blue Moon, was one of the strongest commanders on the battlefield. Kanbei, from Yellow Comet, taught his soldiers to fight with the speed and strength of samurai. Eagle, the top CO from Green Moon, was a hot-headed young pilot whose forces were unmatched in the skies. Sighing, deeply, the man reached for a flask inside his jacket and took a long drag before passing out into a fitful sleep.

* * *

This story is very similar to my other two for Fallout and Armored Core, but in the Advance Wars universe I love so much. I hope to write more on this real soon, but this is just a teaser for now. Enjoy and review!


	2. Chapter 2

**RLS Valiant, in orbit above Wars World**

Ten soldiers sat along the main table of the Valiant's briefing room. On one side sat Marshall Bellamy and the four highest ranking generals in the fleet. No man was younger than forty, with grayed hair and dressed in perfectly arranged military uniforms. These men could command entire armies with a wave of a finger, and held orthodox strategy and doctrine in the highest regard. Across from them sat their polar opposites. These junior officers normally commanded smaller battalions and combat groups and viewed military dogma as mere guidelines, not rules. Bellamy cleared his throat.

"Alright, let's begin." He said. One of his aides activated the display at the center of the table. Omegaland and the country of Black Hole came into view.

"This is our target. Black Hole is a dictatorship, and has been for awhile now. Conscripts form a large part of their military forces, and civilian unrest and resistance movements are rather prevalent. Our campaign will start by deploying Kodiacs within the enemy borders. The Special Forces will seek out rebel factions and army dissenters, gaining valuable intel and resources. A small uprising will then be used to bait a Black Hole force to this city…here…Earnstown. Our main forces will then begin planetfall."

"What if they request assistance from the other countries?" one general asked.

"Black Hole is currently the enemy of the rest of the world. They will not ask for help, but rather censor any news of open rebellion, as it could denote weakness…giving the Allied Nations a chance to strike." Bellamy responded.

"What of the latest transmission from Command?" another officer asked.

"Yes, Red Storm has recalled all of our combat vessels save the Valiant and her escorts, citing the Thirteenth Legion has no need for warships, as the denizens of this world have no spacefaring ability. That means we will be unable to provide orbital strikes until resources can be gained from the defeated Black Hole." Bellamy admitted. "General Wells, please explain the structure of command for the invasion." A tall dark-skinned officer stood and crossed his hands behind his back.

"The command structure of the invasion will be as follows. Command of units in the field will be designated to the junior officers here. Senior officers such as myself will remain in orbit to serve as tactical advisors. That way all Red Lightning forces will be following experienced strategists _and_ tacticians who can think on the fly. All commanding officers will oversee their forces from one of the five Titans we have at our disposal." The mobile fortresses would be the linchpins of the invasion of Black Hole, as well as subsequent operations against the other nations. Each Titan had the firepower of a large battleship, and housed a specialized company of legionnaires.

The generals sitting at the table nodded in agreement. The five junior officers began to chatter amongst themselves. Marshall Bellamy silenced the room with a cough.

"Titan assignments will be announced shortly. Dismissed."

---

The _RLS Henry Zellman_ drifted away from _Valiant _and the rest of the armada. The fat-belied transport ship entered a shallow orbit around the planet, lurking behind the arrays of satellites that monitored the surface below. Wide hangar doors opened to the blackness of space, releasing several matte-black craft that barely stood out in the darkness. Slipping between the satellites, the stealthed entry shuttles pierced the upper atmosphere, appearing as nothing more than flaring meteorites to the eyes in the sky.

Passing into the mesosphere the craft deployed their cargo, black canvas gliders, before boosting back into space. The gliders drifted earthward silently, passing over the cities of Omegaland, shrouded in night, the people below ignorant to the approaching storm.

One of these gliders landed in the hills outside the city of Woodruff, situated in the western part of the continent. As soon as the craft landed twelve men rapidly disembarked, deconstructing their transport and tossing the pieces into the scattered brush. The men moved with the skill and efficiency of soldiers, but were dressed in civilian garb. If one looked closely, however, one could see blocky body armor and compact weaponry under their coats. Their job done, the men turned to their apparent commander, a imposing looking man with blond hair fashioned in a military buzz-cut.

"Captain Skoren, sir. We're all done here." One man announced. Skoren nodded, reaching into his coat and drawing out a small box and a lighter. Popping a light blue cylinder from the box between his lips and lighting it, the special forces captain inhaled deeply, blowing a small cloud of azure smoke that smelt strangely minty. Mint sticks, a cigarette-substitute consisting of flavored chemicals and a mild tranquilizer, were Skoren's personal vice, and the man carried the smell of peppermint with him at all times.

"Alright, let's find a place to sleep for the night, and we'll start our search tomorrow. Get some materials from the glider…we'll have to camp the old-fashioned way until we can get our hands on some Black Hole currency."

With that the soldier marched off in search of a campsite, blowing cobalt rings of smoke.

---

Five junior officers were the only inhabitants of the _Valiant's_ officer's lounge. The Red Lightning ships were on their night-cycle and most men were tucked away in their beds. All of the senior generals had left for their quarters on their personal ships, and Marshall Bellamy had returned to the bridge.

Colonel Valshan wondered if the Marshall ever slept. As long as he had been under his command, Bellamy was always working. Try as he might, he could never recall a moment he saw his superior eat, or drink anything besides whiskey. He wondered if he seemed as inapproachable to his subordinates, but then dismissed the thought. It didn't really matter how his men perceived him, however. As long as he got the job done.

Scratching his short black hair, the colonel returned to the book he was reading. He hadn't been able to put the novel down: a harrowing tale of a young man and his adventures in a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, and strived to finish it before he turned in for the night. His train of thought was interrupted mid-sentence by outburst of hearty laughter. Sighing, the officer set down the paperback and rose, approaching the offending party.

Two men sat at a table overlooking the lounge's viewscreen. While Colonel Valshan was still in his officer's uniform, the pair had relaxed their dress as soon as the senior officers had left. One man, rocking back in his chair dangerously, had unbuttoned his greatcoat and un-tucked his shirt. The other, drinking clear liquid from a flask, had disposed of both his shirt and jacket entirely, dressing in a white t-shirt and a grey vest with tiger-stripe camo print.

"Must you two be so loud?" he asked.

The officers looked up from their banter and, for a moment, silence filled the room. Then the two men laughed even harder.

"…told ya…he would get mad…worse than my mother!" the vested one managed to get out between bits of laughter.

"Come on Markus, lighten up." The other said. "If you don't find time for jokes every once in awhile in this line of work you'll end up killing yourself."

"There is nothing 'light' about our profession, Lieutenant Colonel Valdez. Our job is to win battles, not to entertain crowds."

Valdez grunted in response, turning his head to watch the stars beyond the viewscreen. The other man finally calmed down enough to speak once more.

"Come on, you used to be a fratboy. You used to have keg and toga parties every weekend, am I right?"

Markus huffed at the statement. Being the only CO to attend college outside the military, some had given him the moniker of 'fratboy.' In truth, Colonel Valshan couldn't have been farther removed from the party-boy stereotype that he had been branded with.

"Shokralif, I do not take kindly to that nickname." Markus had removed the man's title of Lt. Colonel in an attempt at an insult. The officer merely thought the Colonel was trying to be friendly, calling him by name instead of rank.

"Please, call me Matt." He said, slurring his words slightly. Markus shook his head and gestured at Matt's flask.

"That's contraband, you know."

Shokralif put on the most innocent face he could muster. "What? It's water."

"We all know it's not water." Markus said. "I can smell the vodka from here."

The officer capped his flask and put it in his vest pocket, changing the subject.

"So, Markus, you excited 'bout getting picked to command Kampher?"

"It was expected." The Colonel replied. "I am the best armored commander in this taskforce. It is only logical I was given command of Kampher. That is also why a sea wolf like yourself was assigned to Leviathan, and why Carlos here was given command of Javelin, being a master of artillery."

Matt acknowledged the compliment with a chuckle and offered Markus a seat at their table. The Colonel accepted the chair and the two began conversing amongst each other, Valdez tearing his eyes away from the stars to join in on the exchange.

"So intel says the commanders aren't pushovers." Matt said.

"Yeah, they're pretty young too." Carlos added.

Markus dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "Have faith in your abilities. I trust you two to get the job done. Our new arrivals, though, make me nervous." He gestured towards the lounge's other two occupants.

A young man and woman were situated at a table across the room, conversing. Both wore standard officer's attire, though the man wore a set of wings on his lapel. The woman had dark red hair down to her shoulders, while the man's curly-brown hair was cut short. The two were laughing at the punch-line of some recent joke, but abruptly ended when they noticed the others were staring at them. The two officers approached Markus and the others and stood at attention.

"I don't believe we've properly introduced ourselves." The man said, saluting. "I am Captain Lloyd Ellis, and this is…"

"I know who you are, Captain, as well as Captain Danvers here." Markus interrupted. "I've read both your files." The Colonel closed his eyes, reciting from memory. "Captain Lloyd Ellis, age twenty-two. Graduated from the Merrel Officer's Academy last year. No real combat experience…given this command position because of connections with the corporate branch."

Captain Ellis looked visibly affronted, but before he could reply, Markus began again.

"And Captain Marna Danvers, also age twenty-one. Graduated two years ago and successfully commanded a combat group during the civil war in the Vilnan system but suffered unnecessary losses due to rookie mistakes."

Danvers joined Ellis in turning a light shade of red. Once again Colonel Markus spoke before they could respond.

"I trust your training, but training is only half of what makes a good officer. Experience is the other. Until you have that, you will not be good officers, and I will not trust in your abilities. As you are now, you will most certainly botch the conquest of Black Hole, and this world."

With that, Markus stood and made to leave to room.

"Prove me wrong." He said, before disappearing from the room. The two younger officers looked ready to beat the Colonel to death. Carlos and Matt, on the other hand, could hardly keep from laughing.

"You're going to have to excuse Colonel Valshan. He's not very good with pep-talks." Valdez said.

"Pep talks!" Marna shrieked. "That was open debasement!"

"He has no right speaking to us like that." Ellis added.

Matt slammed his hand down on the table, silencing the young officers.

"Listen here. As long as Markus is Colonel, he can talk to those under his command any way he wants. And think about it. Was anything he said untrue?"

The two captains thought a moment, think shook their heads ashamedly. Captain Ellis looked down at his feet.

"Exactly. Now you two _are_ inexperienced officers. The only way to remedy that is to get combat experience, experience you'll get in this campaign. The Colonel's challenged you to prove him wrong. You kids think you can do it?"

Ellis and Danvers snapped to attention once more, their salutes as crisp as their uniforms.

"Yes sir."

* * *

_Colonel Markus Valshan was created by TheFlyingHotPocket. So ends the second chapter of The Rise of Red Lightning. I'm not really good with titles, and this one is kinda rubbing me the wrong way. Anybody got an idea for another title?_


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